New England Salmon Hatcheries and Salmon Fisheries in the Late 19th CenturyVarious
History
New England Salmon Hatcheries and Salmon Fisheries in the Late 19th Century
Various
Fish hatcheries -- New England; Fisheries -- New England; Salmon -- New England
Occasional use has been made of fresh fish for direct feeding. When
thrown into the water after chopping it breaks up into fibers to such
an extent that it is not very satisfactory, and I do not suppose we
shall use it in the future, unless in a coarsely chopped form for the
food of large fish. A few barrels of salted alewives have been used,
and if well soaked out and chopped they are readily eaten by the larger
fish and can be fed to fry, but are less satisfactory with the latter,
and like fresh fish they break up to such an extent that they are only
to be regarded as one of the last resorts.
Fresh-water mussels have been occasionally gathered in the lake close
to the station when there has been a scarcity of food. Those employed
belong almost wholly to a species of Unio which abounds over a
considerable area of soft bottom, under a depth of 2 to 10 feet of
water. Many were taken with a boat dredge; more were scooped up with
long-handled dip nets of special construction. Finally a wide, flat
dredge was made, to be drawn by a windlass on the shore and manipulated
by means of poles from a large boat.
When needed for food the mussels were opened with knives--a great
task--and chopped. The meat is readily eaten by all fishes, and appears
to form an excellent diet. Being more buoyant than any other article
tried, it sinks slower in the water and gives the fish more time to
seize it before it reaches the bottom, a consideration of considerable
practical importance. The labor involved in dredging and shelling is a
serious drawback, but were the colonies of unios sufficiently extensive
or their reproduction rapid enough to warrant expenditure of time in
experimentation; improved methods might be devised, which would put
this food-source on a practicable basis.
During the seasons of 1886 and 1888 some use was made of mosquito
larvae. Near the station is an extensive swamp where these insects
breed in great numbers. From the pools of water the larvae were daily
collected by means of a set of strainers specially devised for this
use. Barrels filled with water were also disposed in convenient places
near the rearing troughs, and were soon swarming with larvae from the
eggs deposited by the mosquitoes on the surface of the water. When near
the completion of their growth, which was only some ten days after the
deposit of the eggs, the larvae (or pupae) were strained out and fed
to the fish. No kind of food has been used this station that has been
more eagerly devoured, and so far as our observation has gone no other
food has contributed more to the growth of the fish; indeed, I am
inclined to put them at the head in both respects. It was found,
however, that the time expended in collecting them was out of all
proportion to the quantity of food secured, and pending opportunity for
further experiment their use was discontinued.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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